Trad Gang

Well . . . there is a hunting story from today.  I have never put pics on the site so I am going to figure that out and then . . .

. . . Mr. Clean and I have a story to tell.

Stay tuned.

Ted

O.K. guys, I think I got this picture thing figured out, but it is late and the story I plan to tell will take me some time.  Unfortunately, I have to work tomorrow, so I better get to bed.

. . . but I don't want to leave you folks hanging.  Here is a little teaser about what is to come.

(http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c23/LongbowTed/DSCF0079.jpg)

I hope to tell the rest of the story tomorrow.

Ted

Okay I was thinking to myself as I pulled this up. "Ya know I sure like this guy Ted"

Then you go and pull a stunt like that....Grrr  :mad:  

Skip work I gotta know what was bleedin!!

happy thanksgiving Big Time  :bigsmyl:

Yahooooooo!   :thumbsup:    :thumbsup:    :thumbsup:    :thumbsup:    :thumbsup:  

Can't you call in or something?

Stan

Time to tell the story Ted......  :bigsmyl:


David

How dare you drag one on like this   :bigsmyl:  

Can't wait to hear it Ted!!

(Hello again.  I am at work, but nothing is going on so I can tell you some of the story.  But, I will have to do it in parts as I get interrupted at work).

Mr. Clean's influence on this hunt really started Wednesday night.  I had family in town and it was cold and snowing outside.  My brother brought with him a big bottle of rum and I was mighty close to saying "I don't NEED to hunt tomorrow - Heck, the deer won't be moving anyways - I've got meat in the freezer - Amy would prefer me to stick around and help out tomorrow, etc, etc".

But then it happened . .  again . . .just like last Saturday.  I started hearing those voices . . . you know . . . the voices from the belly of the bow.  After Razorbak, Osagetree, Guru, and YLeeCoyote laid out a very persuasive argument, I started to come around.  After the boys on the belly where through calling me 'Sissy', 'Whiney Pants', and 'Ballerina', I acquiesced and told my family I had to go to bed as I had a morning hunt planned with some friends.  

Smelling a rat or possibly her background as a counselor kicked in, she realized something not quite sane might be happening. My wife replied, "Wait a minute, you don't have any friends.  What's going on here?".  I explained "It's a Trad Gang thing, honey".  Her suspicions were confirmed . . . again . . . she married a crazy person.  

More later,

Ted

:bigsmyl:

See there, you blew it by telling her you had friends, It would be a dead give away for me too.  

LOL this is a novel way of telling a story...I like it   :D

3:15 am . . . the alarm goes off.  I don't hear it. After receiving a sharp poke in the ribs from the victim of some alarm clock collateral damage, I jump out of bed.  As soon as my feet hit the ground, I hear the boys on the belly simultaneously cheer in relief - except for Razorbak - I think he had money down with the other guys on me sleeping through until daylight.

My routine begins.  I think I was about mid-shower when I realized the voices were no longer laughing and poking fun at me.  Nope, the voices were now serious . . . there was talk of wind direction, tree choices, gear checklists (I think I heard YLeeCoyote say something like . . . 'I wonder if he put more peanut butter cups in his bag like last week', followed by a impish snicker.  Osagetree offerred some developmental feedback "um Ted, why don't you leave the grunt tube at home today - we don't need another experience like last week, do we?".  After they sorted out the strategy and I was finished prepping for the day (including reloading my peanut butter cup supply), I got on the road.  

The consensus among the group was that I should take them to the tree we were in last Saturday.  We saw a lot of deer, I didn't really spook anything, and it had rested 4 or 5 days.  After reviewing my journal notes, the boys decided this was my most reliable ambush site and would provide the best chance for Mr. Clean.

I have about an hours drive to the place I was instructed to hunt, so I got on the road.  Not much conversation on the ride over.  I think it was Guru who said, 'just stay awake and focus on the road'.

We arrived at the club I was hunting.  It's a conservation club with a 500 acre farm.  There are about 1000 members, but suprisinly few bowhunt - particularly on Thanksgiving morning after a cold snowy night.  The place does get pressured . . . I treat it like it public land.  I call it semi-private when I am asked about it.  

I got out of the car, got my gear ready and headed into the woods.  The voices were silent, they were working, this was no time for talking.  The moon was bright and the sky was suprisingly clear and we were able to silently sneak into the tree without a light.  We put the treestand on the tree and I started climbing while the boys waited on the ground below.  With no leaves in the trees this time of year I like to go a little higher than normal; I went up about 18 feet.  Mr. Clean and the voices then climbed up the rope I had provided for them and the game was on.  We were in our tree and settled about a half hour before daylight . . . I took a nap and the boys stood guard, promising to wake me if anything was heard sneaking through the crunchy frozen leaves and dusting of snow.

Ted

Ahh, napping in a treestand, glad to see I'm not the only one that does it.....isn't it about time for a morning coffee break from work??


David

Right you are, David.  I am back from the cafeteria armed with 20 ounces and a turkey sandwich.

So, I slept through one alarm already yesterday morning when my clock radio went off blaring 'Money for Nothing' by the Dire Straights at 3:15 am.  I didn't even think about waking up, until the poke from my wife hit about mid-rib.  BUT, there is a better alarm clock that I use that never fails when I am in my treestand.  That alarm is the footfall of the first squirrel to hit the ground.  It always wakes me up and signals me that it is shooting light, time to stand up and act like a hunter.

When the first squirrel hit the ground, I awoke, and Razorbak said something like 'it's about time, we thought you were going to miss the sunrise'.

Then . . . it was cold . . . by 7:30, I was wishing that I had stayed in bed, by 8 I was wishing I had brought my brother's bottle of rum, by 8:30, I decided I am only sticking this out until 10:00.  No action up to this point other than the squirrels doing their last minute nut shopping and a hawk flying over to see if he could catch any squirrels with their head down.

It was a very pretty morning in the woods.  The sky had clouded up and was mostly overcast and cold looking, but the snow on the tops of the deadfalls cut interesting zig zag contrasting lines through the hollow below my stand.  I love the way snow changes the look of the woods and YLeeCoyote noted, as he was taking it in, that with the snow on the logs, the whole scene looks like a different place than it did last Saturday.

. . . . Well, no time like the present for a miniature Reeses Peanut butter cup, I thought.  As I was reaching for the pocket in my pack that housed the sugar-fix, OsageTree offered some more developmental feedback - good old OsageTree . . . always making me a better hunter.  He said "ummm, Ted.  Before you pull out that shiny foil and start chewing so that you can't hear approaching deer, don't you think it would be prudent to really scope out the trail that the spike came in on last week, so that you are not caught with your hand in the cookie pouch for the second week in a row?'.  Guru and Razorback snorted out a little chuckle and I said "Never gonna live that one down am I, guys?"  YLeeCoyote said "Nope".

I checked the lane and listened, no deer seen, no deer heard.  I looked at Osagetree and he gives me the nod and I proceed to work through about 6 of those suckers.  I was opening them with my teeth because I had my gloves on and Guru told the others that I looked like a big fat tree rat desparetly peeling through a golden acorn like it was the last acorn in the woods.  I then showed him my hunting knife, reminding him that I could probably scratch him off the belly without effecting the tiller too much.  'No more fat jokes, guys', I said to them 'I'm sensitive'.

At some point around this time, I think the thought did occur to me that I am sitting 18 feet up in a tree in freezing weather, seeing no deer, talking to a piece of osage with signatures on it.  Maybe my wife Amy was right . . . maybe I'm not quite . . . what was the word she used . . . ummmm . . . normal.  Oh well.

Guru:  "Did you hear that?"
Osagetree: "I heard it, it was on the other side of the hollow.  Moving fast".
Razorbak: "Definitely not a squirrel, could be a fox, but probably a deer"
Guru: "I see it . . . there are two."
Ted: "Ahhh . . . they're heading down the other hollow.  They'll probably circle back up to the bedding area on the top of the other side of the hollow".
Razorbak: "They're tails were up, looked like something jumped 'em - wonder what was down there . . . didn't look like a buck chasing a doe".
YLeeCoyote: "Stay alert they're could be more".
Osagetree: "I hear something coming this way . . . sounds like more deer . . . get ready".
Guru: "Over there, coming out of the bottom of the hollow . . . one . . . two . . . looks like two are coming".
Razorbak: "Easy Ted . . . think through what your doing.  They'll probably come through the lane on the east side of the tree . . . get ready."

The first one comes directly in, stops directly underneath our perch and the second one stops about 35 yards behind.  We see her through the holes in the stand scanning the direction she just came from.  She starts out again.  Osagetree says "Forget about her, the other one is coming, shift your attention to her".

I do what he tells me.

(ahh man . . . another interruption, just when this is getting good).  More later.

Ted

Lunch time for the kids, then off to help decorate a tree, there'll be more when I get back I suppose....pretty good so far Ted.

David

Great story!!!  :bigsmyl:  I'am getting "buck fever" just reading.  :thumbsup:

When the doe immediately underneath our tree started going again, the doe 35 yards out was soon to follow.  

Guru: "Don't come right underneath the tree"
YleeCoyote: (Excitedly) "turn east, turn east, turn east . . . . she did, she's on the trail".
OsageTree: "You're gonna have to shoot quick, you know the lane she'll be in.  Bend at the waste, cant your bow, point your knuckle just like I've been telling you in the backyard".
Guru: "HERE SHE IS"

Razorbak: "She stopped!!!"

The doe stopped just short of my shooting lane.  Mr. Clean was about to be drawn and she stopped.  These deer were coming from the north.  The first doe had passed by and now was South of me and we were readying for a shot directly east.  

Now, as my lefty brothers know (and remember all of the boys on the belly are lefties), this means I had my back turned on the first doe and thus had know idea where she was.  We guessed that she had stopped about 30 yards south of me, causing doe #2 to lock them up too.

SILENCE - the boys on the belly didn't say anything, I regulated my breathing - wondering why in cold weather deer never seem to pick up on the steam from my breathing - always seems like a lot of movement to ignore.

There she was - 10 yards - broadside - no idea that Mr. Clean and 5 trad gangers where up in a tree waiting for her to take a step.

I heard Guru whisper softly, like he did in the note that accompanied Mr. Clean's new string "Like the Ferret says . . . Get her close and hammer her".

Osagetree (whispering): "Concentrate on her heart . . . Find the single hair you want to cut.  When she takes the step - just like we were doing last night . . . cant, point, release, and see the arrow go where your looking"

The doe just stood there - not quite in my lane.  The only thing between us was a small tree about 12 ft. high.  In the early season, I probably wouldn't even be able to see her where she stood, but the leaves are down now . . . even more so than on last Saturday.

YLeeCoyote:  "I don't like this, she is staying there too long.  She's not going to walk through that lane, she's gonna jump through it. I don't like this".

Ted: "What do you want me to do?  Mr. Clean can't put it through the tree.  I've got no choice but to hope she takes the couple steps I need".

RazorBak (who had been silent for a couple moments, looking on pensively): "Pssst . . . Ted.  What if you leaned off the Southern side of your stand . . . I think you may be able to get around the obstruction . . . you may be able to get the shot".

Guru: "She's not looking your direction, you can get away with the movement if you're silent."

OsageTree: "Remember, what your dad always told you, take the first shot you know you can make . . . don't wait for the perfect shot".

I leaned off the southern edge of my stand.  The doe was none the wiser.  I could lean out to a point where I could see most of her vitals.  The trunk of the obstructing tree drew a line right in front of her front leg with no air in between.  I would have to tuck that arrow pretty close to the tree, but it could be done.

Guru:  "I think it's your best bet".

OsageTree: "Remember the angle we're pretty high up."

YLeeCoyote: "Go for it".

I took a breath . . . said the mantra I have worked out in my backyard to help me shoot Mr. Clean.  "Cant . . . point the knuckle . . . watch it disappear."  I put tension on the string, I canted, I pointed the knuckle . . . the boys on the belly of the bow concentrated hard on that hair, and . . .

. . . the shot was released.

(more later)

Ted

Arrgghhhhh    :banghead:

The shot felt good.  We called the shot to be at the bottom of the top third of her body, which is where we wanted it.  It was a little back.  Guru told me before I shot that I had to get that tree out of my mind or I would hit her too far back.  Well, Guru, I guess my internal computer just didn't completely delete that tree out of the shot sequence.

I made Mr. Clean hit her a little bit back, as I said, but not much.  It looked like I was several ribs in from the back, but not as close to the shoulder as I wanted.  The boys thought I probably took off the back of the lungs and probably got some liver in their too.

After the hit, the doe went hard, but only for about 20 yards. Then she slowed to a trot/walk and went over the rise to the North in the direction that she approached from.

The boys and I expected her to fall over - she didn't.  She didn't hunch her back like a gut shot.  I remembered Shaun's post from the other day and made sure to take note of her tail.  It was up and down and up again.  Not exactly 'flicking' like a gut shot and not down either.  We all agreed that I hit her hard and we all were confident that we hadn't miscalled the shot, but with her behavior after the shot, I think all of us were second guessing ourselves.

She disappeared over the rise and I felt pretty confident that I knew where she would head.  I explained the topography to the boys.  I told them that over the rise where we last saw her, there are several trails to the bottom of the hollow.  There is probably water in the litle creek in the bottom.  On the other side of the hollow there is some thick stuff and on the top of that side of the hollow there is a bedding area.  If you follow the hollow all the way out to the North there is a pond - but that is pretty far away. In the bottom of the hollow there are intermittent patches of cover from deafalls and brush.

The boys on the belly went into conference.  They decided to leave me out of this one.  

YLeeCoyote:  "Gosh the shot looked good to me, she can't have gone far.  I bet she's dead right on the other side of the rise."

OsageTree: "The shot did look good, but her reaction is telling me a different story - she's not dead yet".

Guru: "I bet she's going to get into that hollow and lay down in that creek . . . maybe work her way in the direction of this pond Ted is telling us about".

Razorbak: "She could go for that bedding area, but Ted said that hill is pretty steep she may not want to go up it if she's hit as hard as we think".

OsageTree: "Yep and hit deer go for water - I bet the bottom of the hollow is where she's headed."

YLeeCoyote: "Alright, Ted, here's what we're gonna do.  Your going to sit down in that seat and you're going to eat reeses peanut butter cups until their gone.  Then your gonna SLOWLY and QUIETLY get out of this tree, pack your stuff up and get it ready to leave.  Then your going to take us over to the spot of the hit and Osage, Guru, Razor, and I are gonna pull some CSI moves".

. . . I comply with their demands and polish off about twenty minature reeses peanut butter cups . . . and Guru doesn't make any 'fat tree rat' comments this time.

The evidence at the shot site was pretty clear.  The bottom half of the cedar shaft was stuck in the ground.  No sign of the top half.  There was white hair all over the ground and the arrow.  Stomach contents were everywhere and everything smelled like guts.  Without a doubt that arrow went through her stomach.

We figured maybe she was quartering towards us slightly because the shot didn't look like a gut shot.

Osagetree: "I'll tell you what we're going to do next.  We're going to put an arrow on Mr. Clean we're going to trail her to the top of the rise where we last saw her and get a sense for this bloodtrail."

Guru: "Ted, it is critical that you are quiet - treat this like you are still hunting - the wind is right."

She was bleeding pretty good.  There were nickle sized drops every few inches and sometimes several nickle sized drops.  The blood trail was easy to follow.  

When we got to the top of the rise, we pulled out the cheapo WalMart binocs and glassed into the hollow for awhile.  No sign of her.

We took the trail a little further to make sure she was headed for the hollow bottom.  She was.  When we got to the next good vantage point where we could see a lot of the hollow, we sat down.  At this point, we estimated we had taken the trail about 60-70 yards.  We were a bit more than an hour after the shot.

The boys on the belly decided we needed another conference.  I was instructed to glass the hollow while the boys contemplated our next move.

OsageTree: "This is simple . . . When in doubt, back out".

YLeeCoyote: "Yeah, but the shot looked good, she couldn't have gone far".

Razorbak: "I agree YLee, this deer isn't going to go far, but she might not be dead yet, we have to give her time."

Guru: "Guys, I don't mean to be practical here, but remember it is Thanksgiving and if this guy stays out in the woods all day, he is a dead man.  His wife will end it."

OsageTree (who seemed to have assumed a leadership role in this little conclave): "My mind is made up, here is what we are doing.  First, we are getting the heck out of here.  It's cold and it's thanksgiving; there is no one in these woods to push her, it can't hurt to wait.  We're going to have him drive home - appease the family by doing whatever Thanksgiving dinner chores need to be done and then we will come back at 3pm."

Guru: "I agree, this will give this deer 6 hours to die from the time of the shot. We will have two hours of daylight to find her AND he can get his camera and finally start taking some pictures of these goings on."

With that, we backed out - Razorbak reassuringly said "Don't worry Ted we're gonna get this one."

The next few hours were spent feigning interest in the mundane Thanksgiving feast preparation.  My non-hunting, rum drinking brother was doing most of the cooking.  The errands I chose were things like sharpening the carving knives, fixing a hole in the fence that the dogs were working on, I made a run to the store for celery because my brother couldn't bear the thought of stuffing without celery.  I was as bored with this drudgery at the time as you are reading it now, but I had to do it and it kept my mind off of what I wanted to do.

When the time came I left the house and we were on my last blood by 3:00 just as OsageTree requested.

And I had my camera with me.  

I will tell the rest of the story later as I am at work and the rest of the story is supplemented with pictures that I can only upload from home.  I will probably not get back to it until around 10 or 11.  

By the way - can anyone tell I am having a slow day at work?  This is a lot of fun for me, I hope you guys are enjoying it.

Ted

ok It's later already  :campfire:

Ted,you are doing an awesome job...great stuff!!!

Yes I am enjoying it immensely....well... except for the lapses in time.

This is truly a great story told in a very entertaining way.

Can't wait for the finale' this evening.

AAAAAhhh! DANG-IT! Who started all this dragg'n out the story stuff?    :mad:  Although I'll have to admit this is a good'n   :)  I really like the way you have told the story..NOW GIT ON WITH IT SON !!!!

Great story work so far. I like that you have a committee too. Lots of chatter up there for many of us - not during the shot though, one arrow all consuming. Look forward to the pics and the rest of the tale.

You guys think it's bad for you? Jeeeeeez. OK,I'm going back to Guru's thread.

Stan

Take your time Ted. I'm just hanging out and waiting for the wife to tell me it's time to go to the hospital. Baby three should be here soon.
It's been a very entertaining read.
BTW I killed my first last Thanksgiving so this is extra nice for me.

Didn't I tell you all I liked this guy Ted. Great story teller he is. Once he finishes this little  story complete with all the pictures of course we'll get to talkin about the proper medications to help him take care of those...uh.. em' voices.


Jim Coffey

great story...wish I had a good story to tell with mr. clean but you guys are doing great

Was that 10 or 11 am or pm ??????? Good story so far. I am glad to hear that I am not the only person that has things talking to him.  :knothead:   All these years and I thought it was just me  :thumbsup:

O.K. I am home now you can tell the rest...

Phew, now that SuperK is up to speed, I can continue.

Sorry I'm a bit later than promised fellas.  I will try to crank the rest out tonite before bed.

Ted.

. . . so where was I.  Oh yeah, right about here on my last blood.  

(http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c23/LongbowTed/DSCF0074.jpg)

When we got here.  I took at deep breath and said "How do you want to do this boys?"

Guru: "We've got plenty of time, let's glass for a few minutes, think, and get back in the game."

Razorbak: "I agree. Ted, get the thanksgiving crap out of your head.  You need to get back into hunter/killer mode."

I did as they suggested.

Ted

To facilitate the process, Osagetree suggested that I back track just a little bit and get my eyes used to picking out the blood again.  So I did . . .

(http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c23/LongbowTed/DSCF0071.jpg)

(http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c23/LongbowTed/DSCF0072.jpg)

(http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c23/LongbowTed/DSCF0073.jpg)

The blood was six hours older and didn't look as good as it did when it was fresh.  The wind was blowing all day, so some it had blown away.  I realized, "Uh oh, maybe she isn't bleeding as well as we thought she was."

At this point, our biggest concern was having the hole get plugged up as gut shots tend to do.  Given the angle of the shot and the hair at the sight of the hit, that exit hole was probably right at the bottom of her.  YLeeCoyote suggested that the hole would probably get plugged up sooner or later.  Guru pointed out that we still haven't found the top half of the arrow; it could still be inside her.  He wondered aloud about whether or not that could keep the hole from being plugged.

Well, after these thoughts, OsageTree remind us with a simple look that we needed to get back to business.

We went back to the last blood and surveyed the hollow where any remaining drama would unfold.

(http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c23/LongbowTed/DSCF0075.jpg)

Dang,

The anticipation is killing me.....     :D  

I cant wait for the rest of the story.

We started to take the blood trail into the hollow.  We were an efficient group.  Guru led Team Eagle Eye, which consisted of Guru, Myself, and YLee.  Our goal was to find blood and keep us bearing the right direction.  OsageTree led team DeerThink, which consisted of Osage and Razorbak.  Their role was to 'think like a deer' as Osagetree put it.  They kept their eyes forward and continued to think about where they would go if they were a dying deer relative to the last blood coordinate transmitted from Team Hawkeye. We were so efficient, in fact, that I am willing to bet that if you were in a tree stand secretly watching this event go down, you would think you were only seeing one trad ganger, let alone five of them.

Right around this time, Razorbak reminded me of a quote from Jeremiah Johnson that I've always sort of liked at times like this.  Bearclaw says "The human man, he likes tracking.  The Indian, well, he just figures it's natural".

This quote seemed to fit what the teams were doing here.  I wouldn't necessarily say we were 'natural', as Bearclaw said, but we were doing a good job.  There was no needless chatter (save the occasional fat joke from Guru - the fattist).  We were down to business and making some progress.

The blood was less frequent than Guru, the captain of Team Hawkeye, would have liked, but she was headed to the bottom of the hollow as we thought.

Team DeerThink suggested that the deer would likely cut down the hollow when she got to the bottom.  OsageTree pointed out the direction she would likely take:

(http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c23/LongbowTed/DSCF0077.jpg)

When you look at the last picture.  OsageTree is pointing Mr. Clean to the North, which is down the hollow.  The blood trail at this point was going east to west to the bottom.  OsageTree was suggesting was prediction she would change directions when she hit the seasonal stream at the bottom.

You can't quite see it from here, but on the top of the far side hill is the bedding area I referenced earlier today.

Well, we got to the stream.  There was water in it.  Blood was not frequent, but we got her to the stream.  Team Hawkeye was having a hard time finding where she came out of it.

OsageTree was focusing his attention Northward glassing the potential hides that he could see downstream.

Then Razorbak suggested that we stop assuming that she would head down the hollow, staying with the water.  He said, "Let's assume for a minute that maybe she wasn't hit quite as hard as we think.  Maybe she would head to the bedding area.  Let's sneak on a line from last blood towards the hill top bedding area and see if we don't cut some sign.

We did and about ten yards beyond the creek bed, we found some scuff marks that could have been our deer and a step or two later we found a couple hairs, caked in blood and being feasted upon by ants.  

We were back on the trail, but somewhat disappointed as we were worried that 1) the exit hole was plugged, and 2) she had the strength to go up hill.

Just as we were thinking this, Guru spoke up "I've got blood.  Good blood!!!!  Possibly her first bed!":

(http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c23/LongbowTed/DSCF0078.jpg)

She had some cover here.  It looked like an o.k. place for a dying deer to bed, but OsageTree said "Yeah, its o.k., but there are better spots all around here".

Sure enough, when we got to the blood, it didn't look like a bed.  Looked like she got there and stood for awhile.  We imagined that she probably weighed her options at that point and said "Well I can head to my bedroom; I'm tired, oh so tired, or I can go to the kitchen for a glass of cool rehydrating water; I seem to have a bit of a fever."  Obviously, it was a tough decision for her, as it looked like she pined over it for some time, as you can see below:

(http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c23/LongbowTed/DSCF0079.jpg)

This sign renewed our spirits a little bit.  She was obviously losing a lot of blood and we gave here plenty of time to die.

YLeeCoyote: "She's gotta be close"

Team hawkeye looked for the direction she headed out of the decision spot, but didn't find much. In all honesty, Team Hawkeye was losing it's ferver.  Everybody now wanted to be on Team DeerThink.  We knew she couldn't be far . . . she either went to the bedroom or the kitchen:

The bedroom hallway:

(http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c23/LongbowTed/DSCF0081.jpg)

The hallway to the kitchen:

(http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c23/LongbowTed/DSCF0082.jpg)

Where would you fellas go . . . think on it, give me your answer and I'll continue this in the morning.

Ted

. . . wait a minute it is the morning (1am).  I was just kidding, I wouldn't do that do you - I will continue.

Ted

Well, as you might have guessed, the consensus said that the kitchen would be the most likely way to go.

I climbed out of the decision spot and I heard Guru whisper something to Razorbak about my big butt moving through the brush . . . that darned Guru.

Anyways . . . pretty much all of us now switched to Team Deer Think, with only YLee volunteering to keep Team Hawkeye alive, as we felt it would be prudent if one of us kept our eyes out for blood.

We took it slow and worked our eyes hard.  

Within 5 minutes, I heard the following:

Osagetree:  "Razor, give me the binocs . . . ahhh . . these cheap walmart binoculars are worthless . . . you need to invest in some nicer stuff, Ted . . . Razor, Guru, YLee, look at this; is that what I think it is?"

Razorbak: "I don't see what you're looking at.  Where?"

At this point all 5 of us plus Mr. Clean were looking down the hollow:

(http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c23/LongbowTed/DSCF0083.jpg)

OsageTree:  "Look Close . . . Really Close:

(http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c23/LongbowTed/DSCF0084.jpg)

OsageTree: "I may be crazy, but is that what I think it is?" . . . . .

. . . . it seemed simultaneous, but all of us at the same time said, I think it is.

(http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c23/LongbowTed/DSCF0085.jpg)

We watched for a minute . . . no movement.

Razorbak reminded me that there was no rush as I probably already missed thanksgiving dinner.  To which I heard Guru snicker something like "I bet he doesn't miss the pumpkin pie".  Admittedly, that one even made me laugh.

Back to the matter at hand . . . the stalk was on and with each step it became clearer that stealth was not necessary and that Mr. Clean had done his job . . . again.

I think it really sunk in, right about here:

(http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c23/LongbowTed/DSCF0087.jpg)

This was as bad as those Bowsite bloodtail competitions.  :banghead:  


Hehe. j/k. Congrats on the deer.

Man, what a time with Mr. Clean and the Boys on the Belly of the Bow.

(http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c23/LongbowTed/DSCF0088.jpg)

You can see in this one that Guru was correct.  The top half of the arrow was still in her.  You can see that it is sticking out of the exit hole.

I didn't even realize this until after I took the picture:

(http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c23/LongbowTed/DSCF0089.jpg)

Here is one of the hit.  

(http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c23/LongbowTed/DSCF0092.jpg)

We called the shot right, but my autopsy proved somewhat inconclusive as I was in a hurry . . . as Guru pointed out, I didn't want to miss that pie.

There was a slice in the lungs, but that could of been from my hasty field dressing.  The stomach was obviously penetrated.  I searched the liver for holes and my brief search didn't turn up any holes or knicks.  When it was all said and done, she went about 150 yards, give or take.

Later that night when I skinned her, I looked at the hit again.  Both the entrance hole and the exit hole were in between the 3rd and the 4th rib.  This told me that she was in fact broadside, not quartering towards.  She was pretty stiff when I got to her, she had been dead for awhile.

So, what do you anatomy experts think?  What did Mr. Clean sever when it sent that shaft through her?

Here is the proper 'hero pic'.  I turned the bow around to give due credit to the boys on the belly of the bow, but I'm not sure if you can see all of the boys or not.

(http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c23/LongbowTed/thanksgivingdoe.jpg)

CONGRATULATIONS and a heartfelt THANK YOU to BAMA STAN for making Mr. Clean and for making this whole experience happen.

SO . . . To answer the initial question that I raised in the title of this thread . . . DID MR. CLEAN BRING A DISH TO THANKSGIVING DINNER?

(http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c23/LongbowTed/DSCF0097.jpg)

HE SURE DID!!!!!!

Man, guys, I just can't tell you how much fun this whole thing has been.  I'll wrap this up this weekend with some final thoughts and I'll get Mr. Clean in the mail by Monday.

Ted

Congrats Ted.  :thumbsup:   Nice pics and i loved the way you told the story.

Ted Congrats on a wonderful day afield. Although you took the previous Mr. Clean crew along for the ride this hunt and your text book recovery was all you.  :thumbsup:    :thumbsup:

Ted, congrats on a great experience all around.That bow is something isn't it??Awesome story bro!!

Well done. Congratulations on a fine deer. And a great story. I would guess you hit the back of a lung or two and the diaphram. Was she full of blood inside? I truly believe if you had missed thanks giving,you probably would'nt have found the deer. You did good by backing off. Hard to do sometimes. But you had help.


Stan  :notworthy:

Great job Ted, and what a great way to tell the story.  :thumbsup:  


David

You are a talented writer indeed! Great job.

Excellent! Well done! The pics are great!

(Lotz)
I wish someone had the time to find and compile all these Mr. Clean stories together, from start to finish. Then place it all under the Highlights Section for this season, under Mr. Clean or Bama Stans left handed bow. I would like to print and keep the thread, for my journal.

I would do it myself, but I can't even find all the threads,,, can't even find Stans original post on the bow. Not much on computer skills here.

Anyway's, Ted, you done real good!

Canyon,,, have a good, safe hunt, and keep us posted!

Good recovery Ted.

Those tenderloins look awful good, too bad I am not left handed, maybe even I could actually kill something with that stick.

Now about the apparent Schizophrenia issue....   :bigsmyl:

Nice deer and great story!!  Congrats!!

Ted,,first off,, Congrats on your success, second,,Thank you for a very involved & imaginative way to tell the story and last but not least if you & Guru ever string out a story this long again I'm gonna @#$%^&*....  :knothead:    :banghead:  LOL !!

Thank you and CONGRATS to you all!

Who's next. I think canyon is. Can we slip someone in?


Stan

Good story, well done  :thumbsup:

Congrats and great story

Stan slippin someone in would be great. We really aren't ready yet as it's a little early for our season. The late deer doesn't start until Dec 16th and Jason and I talked about a Christmas day hunt with Mr Clean followed by a special Javelina hunt scheduled with some other Tradgangers for Jan 1.

If that doesn't fit in the schedule though just chasin bunnies would be a privledge.

Jim Coffey

Thanks Ted for a great story well told! And for the instructional value to all those newbies and oldies wanting tips on cipherin' out how a shot deer is gonna start thinkin and actin'. Thanks for taking us along on a sucessful hunt, shot, and recovery, and congradulations on the whole deal!
Bob

Thanks for all of the kind words folks.  Being a part of this whole Left Handed Story Bow Experience that Bama Stan has put together has really been an outstanding experience.  Having had the opportunity to kill something with the bow was a plus, but even if I hadn't my time with Mr. Clean would have been a success.  I spend so much time 'taking' from the Trad Gang in the sense that I listen to what you guys say everyday at work, but this was my first try at  giving something of substance back other than the occasional post here and there.  The fact that you all seemed to like the ride that Mr. Clean and I went on . . . well, that's all the better.

I wanted to report that I am now officially one of "The Boys on The Belly of the Bow".  This afternoon I added the following just above Guru's signature on the upper limb "Ted Kinney 'Thanksgiving Doe' 11/24/05".

The bow is packed up and ready to go.  Stan please let me know where you would like it to go.  If we want to squeeze someone in, then just let me know where I should send it and I will do it right away.

I agree with Guru's sentiments completely now that the bow is packed up - I don't really want to part with it.  It's a nice bow, but that's not what's cool about it.  That bow is building some serious mojo.  I hope that the good times keep going with everyone else who gets to spend time with it.

Lastly, I agree with Osagetree.  I would love to see all of these stories and experiences with this bow tracked and documented somewhere.  Heck, we could even throw some of these stories together and submit them to TBM.  I think this Mr. Clean Experience is awesome and I would love to share the story even with people beyond 'the gang'.

Thanks again folks - this was a very rewarding process.

Ted

Ted, I sent you an e-mail. Let me know if you got it.

Stan

P.S. Did ya put a location on it? If not you got some more packing to do  

Stan

Stan,

My 'Trad Gang' email is my work address, I will get it tomorrow morning.  I haven't packed it to a point that it can't be undone yet.  I will wait until I see your email tomorrow and send the bow out to wherever you say on Tuesday.

Ted

I meant location of the kill.

Stan

Stan, I am home from work today - sick day.  Could you send the email you referenced above to ted.kinney@verizon.net - This is a good day for me to get it in the mail, so I want to know where to send it.

I didn't put the location of the kill on it, but I can do that before I send it out.

Thanks,
Ted

Wow Ted, what a story teller you are. I had to remind myself these folks were not actually physically with you.  :thumbsup:  
I am on the list for Mr. Clean and I will consider it an honor just to hold it after so many of you have had success with it. Certainly, I will not be able to relate any successes with it that compare to those I have already read should the mojo work for me also.

This entire Mr. Clean thing has been awesome.  :notworthy:

You're in for a treat, Al.  You can feel the magic in Mr. Clean when you string him.

Ted.